How easy do folks think it would be to cool and quiet an Elite 130 vs. an SG07? Let's assume we have a fanless PSU (if it helps), an SSD, and a beefy CPU.

For the Elite 130, I was thinking that with the GPU blowing out the side vents, and assuming a decent low-profile CPU heatsink/fan, you'd be able to drop the 80mm side fan altogether. Or would you do something different? I suppose the 65mm clearance on the CPU heatsink could pose a problem.

The SG07 actually seems like a fairly similar case to me, except the local site review suggests the great cooling of the 180mm front fan is offset by an annoying clicking sound from the fan. On the other hand, it has better clearance on the CPU allowing for a better heatsink/fan.

Neither one is really suitable for a passive PSU, because a passive PSu relies on the heat rising up.Have you considered the Fractal Design Node 304. It works with a tall and slim CPU cooler and a passive PSU. Only downside is it doesn't fit an optical drive.

I looked at these three cases. The SG07 and Node 304 are pretty nice. They both have room for a larger CPU heatsink and a nice big side vent for the GPU. Unfortunately the Node 304 has no top vents and the SG07 blocks the PSU from top venting with the drive bays.

The solution would be simple: raise the PSU and stick the drives underneath. You could even add an inch for a standard optical drive, and a couple rear-facing 3.5" bays.

Neither one is really suitable for a passive PSU, because a passive PSu relies on the heat rising up.Have you considered the Fractal Design Node 304. It works with a tall and slim CPU cooler and a passive PSU. Only downside is it doesn't fit an optical drive.

I wouldn't be opposed to a really good non-passive PSU. So in the Elite 130, you'd have the 120mm intake fan, GPU fan out the side, PSU fan out the back, and probably a downblowing CPU heatsink fan? I don't think the 80mm side fan would serve much purpose - I think the air will tend to flow out through the PSU, which a good PSU can probably handle.

I am curious about comparing these two cases in general, but if we're talking about my situation specifically, then the Node doesn't work. My case will be in an enclosed portion of my office desk (the desk has a front door that is usually closed, and an open space on the left side and rear to provide airflow. The right-facing USB/audio ports on the Node wouldn't be usable. (And incidentally, that further reduces the usefullness of the right-side 80mm fan of the Elite 130.) I don't think I'm going to buy optical drives anymore. If I ever need one again I'll buy an external drive that I can use across multiple computers.

So the SG07 can have better CPU cooling, but does it have any other significant benefits compared to the Elite 130? They still seem fairly similar to me.

The Elite 130 is pretty much designed for use with a 120mm all-in-one watercooler - there's space on the front intake for one, and you don't even have to sacrifice drives to fit one (an improvement over the Elite 120, which required you to remove the drive cage entirely to achieve the same thing). Used with a 120mm AIO watercooler, the Elite 130 should provide excellent CPU cooling, and since the GPU intakes through the side vents, its temps shouldn't really be affected. I would probably not choose a passive PSU for this case, however, as the PSU fan is basically the exhaust for the case - something with a well behaved fan profile would be better.

The SG07 is pretty much designed for use with a top-down air cooler. Tower coolers won't really fit, and an all-in-one 120mm watercooler is a tight squeeze. With a nice top-down cooler (which is kinda hard to do on a space-constrained ITX board, but is doable - Noctua or Thermalright) you'll get good CPU cooling, and again the GPU intakes through the side vents so is pretty much standalone.

In both cases (badoom-tish) you'll want a GPU that exhausts through the slot area (stock-cooler nVidia 7xx or Radeon 79x0 type cooler) to get airflow as the case manufacturers intended.

I've personally been considering downsizing from my Solo II to an Elite 130, purely because I attend LANs fairly regularly. I figure I could sound-proof an alcove on my desk a bit to stop it making so much noise. I'd definitely use a 120mm AIO watercooler in the Elite 130 though, as there's just not clearance for much else. If I wanted air cooling, I'd go for an SG07 or perhaps a Lian Li of some sort.

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